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crime

Prosecutors drop indictment against woman arrested over 4-year-old daughter’s death

33 Comments

The Saitama Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to drop its case against a 42-year-old woman who was arrested last December on suspicion of killing her four-year-old daughter.

Prosecutors did not give any reason for not proceeding with the indictment of Mami Suzuki, who had been charged with strangling her daughter Haruha to death at their residence on the evening of Dec 20. When Suzuki’s husband, 40, returned home, he discovered the two collapsed on the floor and contacted the police.

Suzuki had a knife wound to her neck, which police believe was self-inflicted. She and her daughter were taken to hospital where the child died on Dec 26.

Police said Suzuki admitted to killing her daughter and then trying to kill herself. She told police she had become distressed over raising Haruha.

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33 Comments
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Don't be fooled.

90% of indictments are based on confession.

All this confessions are signed during an indefinite confinement and without a lawyer present.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

bokuda

They got an innocent mom in a jail for 7 months without any evidence. She didn't confess, so now they have to release her.

Police said Suzuki admitted to killing her daughter and then trying to kill herself. She told police she had become distressed over raising Haruha.

This type of stuff happens a lot here. If you followed this case and read the article, perhaps you'd have a better understanding.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Alright, then!

Let's forget this incident, and wait for it to happen again on the next wrongly accused citizen.

Keep Calm, and Carry On.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

A mom was wrongly accused of killing her baby, and thrown to solitary confinement for half a year.

This story needs to be public.

No, the public wants the story. She's under no obligation to speak to any media, and if she chooses not to, the public will continue on as usual. There's no necessity for the public to have that story.

Everyone doesn't need to know everything. Micromanaging never works, and the netizens are just one big group of wannabe micromanagers.

Life will go on without everyone knowing the details of the story.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Or, as soon as she leaves, she can go home, make no statements, and continue to live her life as person convicted of no crime, and therefore with no obligation to talk to the press.

A mom was wrongly accused of killing her baby, and thrown to solitary confinement for half a year.

This story needs to be public.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I need to hear her side of the story.

You're interested in her side of the story, and with that you feel like you could make a qualified determination of her innocence or guilt, but it's not something you need.

As soon as she leaves the solitary confinement, the press must hear her out.

Or, as soon as she leaves, she can go home, make no statements, and continue to live her life as person convicted of no crime, and therefore with no obligation to talk to the press.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The police could have killed the child as far as we know.

Unbelievable, You aren't serious, are you ? Why would the police di that, bother to explain?

I think the point was that we don't know what happened, other than that the police decided not to prosecute. What we don't know is whether or not she was culpable of murder, for as bokuda has repeatedly pointed out, she was not tried. No one here has reviewed any of the evidence beyond what they heard as hearsay through a few paragraphs on JT (ok, maybe some people read an article somewhere else too). The prosecutors reviewed the evidence and dropped the charges. These are the same prosecutors who have a mandate to prosecute people they consider to be guilty, and who often seem to be overly aggressive about it in Japan.

So let's review the facts:

-- She was charged

-- The charges were dropped

-- The people who reviewed the evidence and dropped the charges are those with a mandate to prosecute people they consider to be guilty

-- She is innocent until proven guilty

You can make what you want of those facts, but those who think they have enough information from a bit of media to qualify them to know more about the situation than the prosecutors are classic armchair prosecutors. Living examples of the Dunning Kruger effect. Too stupid to realize they aren't smart.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Won't you love a society where all trials and evidence is made public.

Where prosecutors must explain their decisions.

There wasn't a trial, and I don't think most countries require prosecutors to explain in detail their decision not to prosecute and release the evidence publicly. Usually they just drop the charges due to a lack of evidence to secure a conviction. Which is what seems to have happened here.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I wanna know the truth more than any of you.

If the police can't release any evidence, can't make any explanation.

I don't know what to think.

I need to hear her side of the story. As soon as she leaves the solitary confinement, the press must hear her out.

If it was another made up story that the police made her sign. I would be very disappointed.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

bokudaToday  12:39 pm JST

Do you know it for real? Looks like a made up story that not even the prosecutors can explain.

No explanations. No evidence released.

The police could have killed the child as far as we know.

We know absolutely nothing. It sad the obscurity of the system.

Ever heard of DNA blood testing? We've had that forensic science breakthru in the 80s if not before. It can be determined whodunit.

This ain't no 'Unsolved Mysteries' TV episode fodder to get you too scared to leave your sofa. It's 2021. We know better now.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No way if this was the father who killed his child & survived a suicide attempt! This is another glaring example of how courts let women get away with crimes or much lower sentences etc, just plain WRONG

2 ( +2 / -0 )

RIP to this little angel gone too soon...again Japanese non justice won.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

bokuda needs to read the article and stop thinking that everything is a conspiracy and setup. Maybe too much Netflix and Fox News?

A 4 year old child was murdered by her mother.

Have some respect and decency.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Murder (failed) suicide, she should be in jail, she took the life of a little angel that trusted her mother. If you are "tired" you don't need to kill other people.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The prosecutors in Japan will not take a case unless they are convinced they have a 100% chance for a conviction. Something bothered them here. Seven months indicates they were having mental status examinations of her and they are still not sure she had the mental intent to kill her child.

@Numan, she is now 42. The clock is fast running out on her ability to have another child.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The police could have killed the child as far as we know.

Unbelievable, You aren't serious, are you ? Why would the police di that, bother to explain?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Do you know it for real? Looks like a made up story that not even the prosecutors can explain.

No explanations. No evidence released.

The police could have killed the child as far as we know.

We know absolutely nothing. It sad the obscurity of the system.

-12 ( +1 / -13 )

nonu6976Today  06:50 am JST

@bokuda,

did you not read the article? - she confessed!.

She wanted to kill herself but an innocent 4 y/o girl who did nothing wrong is dead and this suicidal nut gets away with child murder. This is a gross injustice and it's a total obscenity.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Why do we always have this -guilty until proven guilty- argument?

She's not guilty. Do you all hear me?

You need a trial and a veredict to become guilty.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

The mother hasn't done anything as far as I know.

If she had,she would be convicted.

Do you know anything I don't?

So far we have zero evidence. And the only confession could be made up. It's a common practice in Japan to make up stories and force defendants to sign them.

-11 ( +2 / -13 )

It’s just sickening that the prosecutors dropped the charges. It’s more sickening that some people commenting here are showing heaps of sympathy towards the murderous mother ( talking about forced confession to mental state ) and none towards a helpless child who was murdered! These people are all pathetic!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Won't you love a society where all trials and evidence is made public.

Where prosecutors must explain their decisions.

I wonder if that society will ever exist... ooh, wait! It's just every single county in the UN block but JAPAN.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

Bokuda:

We'll never know if it was a forced confession.

So many forced confessions, you don't know what to believe anymore.

So why read the news at all and comment on articles you don't believe? The whole outcry of "fake news" claims are themselves fake.

This is a sad story of a woman with obvious mental health issues that ended in tragedy for the entire family. Maybe show a little human compassion rather than passing judgement.

And, yes, we may never know exactly why the prosecutor's office decided to drop the case, but we can hope that this woman receives the treatment she will need, as well as her husband, who is likely as much a victim here as anyone.

Prayers for the soul of the little angel who is the center of this tragedy.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Literally get away with killing a child in japan

8 ( +12 / -4 )

did you not read the article? - she confessed!.

We'll never know if it was a forced confession.

So many forced confessions, you don't know what to believe anymore.

-10 ( +8 / -18 )

I just can't stand it when things make a 180 degrees turn without any explanations!!?? Just WEIRED and makes you suspicious.

Butter not to even report it.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

@Hiro

Mental issue. She probably wish she had died from her wound. She now has to live with the fact she killed her own child and her family will avoid her. Is the most terrible thing for a mother to feel. Husband probably leave her and everyone she knows will judge her. Even if her indictment is drop, she will still be send to a mental institute. It will haunt her forever unless she choose the easy way out again.

You assume that she still cares!

Being required to stay in mental institute for a short amount time then she will be able to go free and move to a different part of Japan where she can start a new life and nobody knows her and no record to follow her. She could even remarry and have another child until she feels like raising the child is again too much.

The police, the prosecutor, and those supporting this decision just gave this woman an easy excuse to start her life over with a possible new family to do it again.

Not a smart move at all!

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Mental issue. She probably wish she had died from her wound. She now has to live with the fact she killed her own child and her family will avoid her. Is the most terrible thing for a mother to feel. Husband probably leave her and everyone she knows will judge her. Even if her indictment is drop, she will still be send to a mental institute. It will haunt her forever unless she choose the easy way out again.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

Family connections? Did the police use illegal torture tactics to get the confession?

0 ( +8 / -8 )

@bokuda,

did you not read the article? - she confessed!.

23 ( +25 / -2 )

They got an innocent mom in a jail for 7 months without any evidence. She didn't confess, so now they have to release her.

-21 ( +3 / -24 )

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